Presented by Laura Owen and Freida A. Trujillo

1. Carving a Pathway of Access and Equity Presented by Laura Owen andFreida A. Trujillo Head To Toe Albuquerque Convention Center April 13, 2011

2. A little more about us… Laura Owen • New Mexico School Counselor Association Past-President and current President Elect-Elect • Albuquerque Public Schools Counseling Manager • Oregon State University Ph.D. student Freida Trujillo • New Mexico School Counselor Association Past-President & Current President-Elect • Albuquerque Public Schools Resource Counselor • Supervise/Support 206 School Counselors • Selected to participate in College Board’s Urban School Counseling Initiative in 2008 • Selected as one of 20 schools for the 2010 FAFSA Completion Project • Selected as the evaluation site for the whole country on FAFSA Completion

3. Albuquerque Public Schools APS Demographics • *28th Largest School District* • *89,469+ students…and growing • 5.0% Native American • 4.0% African American • 3% Asian/Pacific • 55.0% Hispanic • 33% Caucasian • 49% Female • 51% Male • 139 Schools • 56% Free or Reduced Lunch • 14,000 English Language Learners * APS Academic Plan, 2010-11

4. When we speak of access and equity issues for students - what are we talking about?

5. Societal and Educational Realities “Children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white”. • Barack Obama, keynote speech, 2004 Democratic National Convention The College Board, National Office for School Counselor Advocacy

6. What are school counselors currently doing to address these issues in your school or district?

7. We started with Professional Development …

8. ASCA National Model

9. School Counseling To Close the Achievement Gap: A Social Justice Framework

10. “School Counseling to Close The Achievement Gap” A Social Justice Framework for Success” Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy (Corwin Press)

11. Six key functions of school counselors using a social justice approach Consulting Counseling and Intervention Planning Coordinating Student Services and Support School Counseling Using A Social Justice Approach Challenging Bias Connecting Schools, Families, and Communities Collecting and Using Data “School Counseling to Close The Achievement Gap” A Social Justice Framework for Success” Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy (Corwin Press)

12. Professional School Counselor Ethics and the Law

13. ASCA National Model Training

14. Partnered with NOSCA National Office for School Counselor Advocacy Vivian V. Lee

15. NOSCA’s Urban School Counseling Initiative Selected to participate in the Urban School Counseling Initiative

16. Objectives: NOSCA Urban School Counseling Initiative (USCI) 1. A national Initiative designed to fundamentally reframe and/or transform district-wide school counseling programs so that they can show accountability metrics in alignment with 21st Century education reform. 2. Provide support and leadership to school counselor district leaders in designing and implementing customized system plans that will transform their counseling programs. 3. Provide an opportunity for counselor leaders to engage in dialogue with a successful urban superintendent about education reform and school counseling. 4. Provide a national venue for state leaders of school counseling to participate in a learning community designed to proactively find solutions and methods for transforming their district-wide school counseling programs.

17. Objectives: NOSCA Urban School Counseling Initiative (USCI) 5. Identify the critical challenges urban schools face in making changes in their school counseling programs. 6. Provide an opportunity for urban school counselor leaders to network and exchange ideas and information that will help to broaden their knowledge and resources for use in making systemic change in their school counseling programs. 7. Assist urban counselor leaders in development of 1st drafts of new vision and mission statements and launch the process of creating a plan for their district-wide school counseling programs.

18. NOSCA and Professional Development • Populations • School Counselors • District directors of • School Counseling • Counselor Educators • Principals • Superintendents The College Board, National Office for School Counselor Advocacy

19. Does Leadership Matter? Definitely!!! Graphic from Reschly, Burns

20. “I own the seat” Leadership – finding a way forward regardless of one’s circumstances National Office for School Counselor Advocacy College Board

21. Increasing Levels of Influence Advocacy Consultation Collaboration Cooperation Support Outreach Inclusive Information Presence The College Board, National Office for School Counselor Advocacy

22. The more we did…the more we were invited to sit at other tables

23. Collaboration Statewide • NMSCA • Drop-Out Prevention Summit • ENLACE – School Counselor Task Force • Legislative Task Forces • HJM3 – School Counselor/Nurse Shortage • HJM127 – Health as a graduation requirement • Public Education Department (PED) • Writing New Counselor Competencies • Higher Education Department (HED) • Carve Your Path (New Statewide Electronic Student Management System) • NM College Success Network • NM Professional School Counselor Academy

24. APS Transformation Team Chief Academic Officer Assistant Superintendent for School and Community Support Associate Superintendent for Secondary Education Associate Superintendent for Middle Education Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education Associate Superintendent for Elementary Education Director of Health and Wellness Department Smaller Learning Community Grant Manager Curriculum and Assessment Manager Career Pathways Coordinator Research and Program Evaluation, Research, Deployment & Accountability Department Research Coordinator, Research, Deployment and Accountability Elementary Principal Middle School Assistant Principal High School Assistant Principal Resource Teacher, Career and Technical Ed Resource Counselor, Why Try Program Resource Counselor – Middle Schools Resource Counselor – Elementary Schools Middle School Counselor and Union Rep District and School Counseling Staff Director of Special Education Safe Schools Healthy Students Grant Manager Wellness Manager

25. Creating a New Vision for School Counseling in Albuquerque Public Schools

28. Initial School Counseling Transformation Meetings • Reviewed the history of school counseling • Explained the role of school counselors • Addressed the need for systemic change to implement school counseling program best practices • Reviewed the District Counseling Vision and Mission • Discussed where school counselors fit to address the districts’ academic excellence goals • Reviewed the counseling strategic plan

29. Albuquerque Public Schools Counseling Vision and Mission Statement VisionEvery APS student will graduate from high school empowered with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to succeed and contribute in society. MissionAll APS Professional School Counselors will embrace and enhance school counselor practice, advocating for equitable educational access and rigorous academic preparation related to college and career readiness for every student. (adapted from the NOSCA Mission Statement)

35. Improve the Graduation Rate • Reduce Truancy • Reduce the Drop-out Rate • Close the Achievement Gap

36. School Counselor Input • Identified systemic challenges in APS at the counselor, school and district level • Worked on the vision and mission • Identified where their levels of influence were • Identified mandates at the state, district, and building level • Identified equity and access issues • In September, 2010 Counselors Academy, we had them fill out sheets on what needs to be done, and challenges on implementation for the NOSCA Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling.

37. Literature given to every principal and assistant principal in the district

38. Meeting with Superintendent Brooks April 13, 2009 Ongoing meetings with Chief Academic Officer and Associate Superintendents

39. Another invitation to the table…Student-Led Conferences & Advisory • In the January of 2007-2008 SY, the APS Chief Education Officer put the Counseling Unit in charge improving parent teacher conferences across the district • Read the research on Parent Teacher Conferences • Looked at best practice in and out of the district • APS Board Presentation January 2009 – Asked to move forward with changes (Student Led Conferences) • Wrote 6 lessons for HS and 6 lessons for MS for 2009-2010 school year (based on Navigation 101 model) for a pilot version of Advisory • Trained over 300 staff in a train the trainer model on Student –Led Conferences and Advisory • Wrote Student and Family Guides K-12 and had them translated into Spanish • Worked with district research department to evaluate implementation during 2009-2010

40. Ultimate Goals • Increase middle and high school students’ engagement in school; • Improve parents’/guardians’ engagement; • Increase student achievement; • Increase student’s college and career readiness; and • Improve school climate and school staff support of student engagement.

41. Other Departments We Collaborated With to Accomplish This Task Special Education Research, Deployment and Accountability (RDA) Language & Cultural Equity Graphics Albuquerque Teacher Federation (ATF)

42. We Killed Ourselves Over the last two Summers!!! • Curriculum specific to APS, utilizing Navigation 101 and other resources, level specific • Student and Family Guides for every grade level, 2009-10 • Presented at the Administrative Conference for Educators (ACE) in APS in August, 2009 • Prepared and presented a “Train the Trainer” model for implementing the Student-Led Conferences and Advisory Model, August, 2009 and 2010

43. www.aps.edu

44. Student and Family Guides K-12

45. This School Year • 14 Advisory Lessons for grades 6-8th, and 16 for grades 9-12th • Developmentally appropriate curriculum for each grade level (6-12) • Handouts being printed for every middle and high school student (approximately 55,000) • School Staff Training - August 12th • APS Online Learning Department working with us to develop online training materials • District Wide PD negotiated this year • August 16 (Lessons 1-8) • January 4 (Lessons 9-16)

46. Implementation Teams • Middle and High Schools were mandated to send a school implementation team to the “Train the Trainer” Training. • In 2009-10 school implementation teams comprised of the principal, an assistant principal, a school counselor, a special education teacher, a general education teacher, many schools included their instructional coach as well. • In 2010-11 school implementation teams were left up to the discretion of the principal.

47. Train the Trainer Model The district training sessions were approximately 3.5 hours long and consisted of a review of best practice literature, a power point presentation covering APS procedures, exercises to address questions and concerns, and video examples of conferences.

48. School Site Training Though the counseling department recommended in-person training similar to the district training; the format, timing, and content of school trainings were left to individual schools’ implementation teams to determine.

49. STUDENT PREPARATION • Portfolios and all materials are organized around 3 areas: ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT What did I accomplish in school this year? CAREER DEVELOPMENT What do I want to do in the future? PERSONAL & SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Who am I?

50. STUDENT PREPARATION • Students begin preparing in advisory • Students are responsible for all aspects of the conference